Naa Norley
13 November 2009
An association of Ga Adangbe residents abroad has condemned the massive encroachment on school lands in the capital, Accra.
According to them, most public schools were built without the necessary playing ground, recreational centre, canteen, and assembly hall. They said due to this, most schools cannot meet the demand of enrolling more pupils during the start of an academic year.
Speaking to the Accra File in Maryland, Mr. Charles Kotey, President of the group, noted that it was a shame that most schools do not even have football fields or gymnasiums for the pupils.
According to him, most school lands have been sold out to individuals for residential purposes, without the consent of the appropriate authorities.
He said most schools, which have football fields, have to share with outsiders, sometimes creating inconveniences for the schools.
Explaining further, Mr. Kotey noted that the earlier the government machinery and the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) moves, by learning lessons from the University of Ghana, Legon, in reclaiming its lands, the better it would be for the ordinary citizen.
A comment by a member on a recent visit by a section of the union to the country, said, "a school like St. Mary's Secondary School in the heart of Accra, cannot boast of a football field, and not even a gym, which is a shame to the Ga people."
A tour around some schools in the Mamprobi Salvation Army cluster of schools, revealed that most schools had their roofs broken or ripped off, and upon enquiry, the school authorities revealed that having the only football field in the vicinity, had resulted in most youth of the area using the field during and after school hours, destroying the roofing sheets of the building in the process.
Touching on the shift system, the group lauded the phasing out of the system, which is currently on going in most basic schools in Accra, but added that it was long over due.
A member said the idea of the AMA boss phasing out the system was laudable, but how to implement it becomes a problem, as already most schools are filled to capacity, forcing them to run the shift system.
He further noted that all this boils down to the fact that there are no vacant lands for the construction of new schools, or opening up the existing classrooms, as the lands meant for such purposes had been used for residential purposes.
Reacting to the AMA boss's speech during the "My First day at School" exercise to commence the academic year recently, Mr. Kotey noted that the Assembly must move into action and make sure that basic infrastructure, that has been a mirage in most schools, should be instituted, such as the libraries and recreational centres, for the leaders of tomorrow.
The President noted that most pupils in British Accra (James Town and its environs) roam in town or the shopping centres, because there are no recreational facilities to entertain them, making them resort to roaming in the cities.
He said the recent drowning of six pupils behind the Independence Square during school hours, while kids in developed countries would be making use of their libraries or gyms to unearth potentials, shows that school pupils in Accra patronise the beaches without adult supervision.
He said the under-performance of most pupils in areas such as Chorkor, Ayalolo, Salaga market and other areas, stem from the fact the schools are located in between markets, making learning and teaching difficult, like what is happening at the Madina Nkwatang cluster of schools, where the basic schools share a compound with market women and Kayayei (female porters).
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